The 16 National Interest Statements made by Uganda’s Speaker Anita Among Annet

The 16 National Interest Statements made by Uganda’s Speaker Anita Among Annet

We are all Ugandans and Uganda is for everybody. If you are not going to do work for Ugandans when you are in the House, then we will apply the rule for 15 sittings and see what to do. Remember, that is Rule 112(6) of the Rules of Procedure.Let us serve the people of Uganda, Let us love our country.
The problem we have with our friends who love social media is that they know everything. They are doctors, nurses, gynaecologists, paediatricians; they even want to be Ssalongo’s when they cannot be.They want to know when a Nnalongo is pregnant. They know everything, but they do not know anything. Do not give us a shrinking social space. We are here to serve the nation; we have lives to live and we must live our lives to the fullest.
Honourable members, as you know, I went on a short leave. I bring you greetings from Ssalongo, Nnalongo and the Balongo. You are all their uncles and aunties. Holding a position like mine does not stop one from being a mother. I hope I inspire most of you and I wish you all the best.
I thank Kampala Hospital;I had heard a lot of rumours that those politicians spend a lot of our money on going to give birth from outside the country. I gave birth at Kampala Hospital. They are still asking, “Why a private hospital?” It is a choice. Private institutions are here to complement Government institutions. Let us not look at smaller things, but be happy with our country and love it.

We need the private sector to complement the Government. Yesterday, I was in Mulago to visit Hon. Elotu who got involved in an accident. The time I went to the hospital, he was in the ICU. I did not know that Mulago had the best ICU. It has the best equipment in the country. The problem we have with Mulago is the human resource. As we go into the budgeting process, I want us to support the National Referral Hospital by providing them with money for human resources. We also need to support the private sector, which complements the Government sector.

I want to thank Mama Janet Museveni and His Excellency the President for the support they gave me when I was doing my motherly duty. I thank all of you for the messages you sent me and the love you showed me.I thank the Rt Hon. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi and the Katikiro of Buganda. All those people have been there for the balongo.

I request KCCA to consider all Ugandans as visitors as we wait for the others who are coming. We want a beautiful city; we do not have to segregate. We do not work on our house only when we know that there are visitors coming. We gave out money and it is for the whole city.

I would like to thank Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) for trying to patch up the potholes in town. Unfortunately, they are patching only where they think visitors are going to pass. The biggest visitors in this country are us. First start with us because all of us come from outside Kampala. We are visitors in this city. Patch up everywhere since we have given you money – not only for a road going to Munyonyo. I request KCCA to consider all Ugandans as visitors as we wait for the others who are coming. We want a beautiful city; we do not have to segregate. We do not work on our house only when we know that there are visitors coming. We gave out money and it is for the whole city.

Why don’t we have a government-to[1]government discussion and see how some of these things can be resolved. Can’t that be handled? Why would you leave a police officer who is guarding you to be in a dark place? A police officer without water in a barracks? That looks queer. I request the Government to look into that and see how we can resolve those issues.

The fact is that Akii[1]Bua must get its stadium at whatever cost. Buhinga will get it. It was a presidential pledge. That is why I am not asking for it in Bukedea because it was not pledged there. I want us to desist from that and look at what is good for our country. That kind of cheap politics will not take us anywhere. Let us love this country. I will only need to hear from the minister on the position of the Cabinet on that issue. For you to have the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), you needed to have an airfield in your area; that is when they would use your stadium, and the only places that qualified were Hoima and Kampala.

As we legislate and go through the budgeting process, we should be able to think about the infrastructure in prisons, not only in Luzira. It should be all over. Of course, we will always continue having people who break the law. Since we will continue having them, let us see how we can support Uganda Prisons Service and see that their infrastructure is improved in the next financial year.

This weekend we shall be witnessing the royal wedding of the Kyabazinga of Busoga, His Majesty William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV, and his queen, the Inebantu, Jovia Mutesi. As his subjects, we wish him well in his wedding and marriage. However, as I said before, you find that there are some social media people who know it all. Why don’t they leave people to settle? Why don’t they wish other people well?. People want to poke their noses into others’ personal lives. They should leave the Kyabazinga alone. If they are saying he has many wives, who tells them a man should have only one woman. Yes! Let the man go and wed his Inebantu. For us, we support the wedding. We wish them well. As Parliament of Uganda, we congratulate him and will continue praying for the family.Rt Hon Anita Among [Published by Public Opinions}

The skilling project is very good. The last time there was a function in Kololo, there were over 10,000 youth under the skilling project. That is Kampala. The question is: when will it reach Kachumbala, Bukedea, Kinkizi, Rubanda and Kween? Can we have it throughout the country so that we engage all our youth in doing that?.

I think what the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development needs to do is to establish the National Youth Service. That would be a remedy to unemployment because if you have the “national”, we will not be talking of only Lira. You would be giving an example and say, “Today, we have a skilling centre in Lira. Tomorrow, we shall have it in Busia”. It should be a national thing, not an initiative of only a few. As leaders of this country, we should be able to support the Government in ensuring that we have this kind of skilling centres.

We appreciate and we want to support the Government in commercialization, but let the Government also help the population outside. I am not complaining; I have tractors in Bukedea, but what about other people? Alebtong has – maybe because I am the Speaker, but what about elsewhere? Let us be sincere on this. Let us empower the population to do commercial agriculture.

Honourable members, as you may be aware, our society remains under threat over the vice of homosexuality. The media has been awash with these stories, signifying the need for us to stand up and be counted, as legislators. The only people who can make laws in this country are you and I. However, if we go quiet and do not stand up and be counted, then, we are not doing anything for this country. This matter was exhaustively discussed on 24 and 25 January 2023 in this House. However, we are also just lamenting like other people. The report that is supposed to be brought here is not going to solve the problem because we do not have a law in place. We need to have a law in place in regard to anti-homosexuality.